Kitty's Love Story

Chapter 8

It was dawn, his usual waking time, and Matt felt an emptiness in his stomach even though he was not particularly hungry. He had eaten little during his trip home and had mostly picked at his food at Delmonico's last night. Doc, Festus, and Newly had stopped by to take him to dinner, and he had told them about his brief, lugubrious conversation with Kitty. He had gotten word in Hays that Pete Folsom had been killed, but he had no idea that Kitty was involved. The story about her terrifying encounter with the hardened criminal had taken Matt by surprise and renewed his guilt over leaving her to carry on to Kansas City alone. But what she revealed about the events that had followed was nothing short of devastating. He had listened with his typical stoicism, leaving almost immediately after she had finished telling him about Bill. He wasn't interested in explanations and couldn't rationally discuss it until he'd had more time to digest it.

"I know what's been going on here," he had told his dinner companions, who knew from that one vague sentence what he meant. Matt had a way of making it clear when he wanted no further discussion on a topic, and this was one of those times. His friends respected that, though Festus got himself kicked under the table a few times when he started to steer the conversation into forbidden territory. Sometimes he just couldn't help himself.

Matt sat up in his cot and rubbed his eyes, the early morning sun shining through the small office windows. This wasn't where he had hoped to spend the night when he stepped off of the stage in Dodge yesterday. He couldn't believe how much had changed since then.

He would have sworn he hadn't slept at all last night, except that he remembered having a dream. He was sitting in church and suddenly noticed that the pews were decorated with ribbons. The organ began to play, and he realized that he was at a wedding. A vision in white walked down the aisle, getting closer and closer to him until he could see that it was Kitty. He stood up and extended his arm to her, but she shook her head and kept walking toward a faceless man at the altar. It had jolted him awake, and though he dozed a bit afterwards, he had never fallen into a deep sleep.

Matt got up and put on a pot of coffee. He glanced at a desk covered in mail and figured he might as well get started on his work day. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to be.

The morning seemed to move at a snail's pace. Festus came in at his usual time, doing his best to help the situation and failing miserably. "He ain't that good lookin' a feller if you ask me," Festus declared at one point. "And I'd say he's a might older'n you too, and not nearly as tall—"

"That's enough, Festus," Matt interrupted, standing up and putting on his hat. "I have some errands to run. Take care of things here while I'm gone."

"Sure thang, Matthew," Festus replied glumly, disappointed that his comments had not had the intended effect.

Matt left the office and stood just outside the door, wondering where to go. He didn't really have errands to run, but he needed a break. Maybe a quiet, solitary ride would clear his mind. He headed toward the stable to get Buck.

He walked quickly with long strides, hoping to avoid anyone who wanted to chat. Looking straight ahead, he practically collided with the man coming out of The Dodge House. They both stopped short, and Matt instinctively reached out to catch the man on crutches who had lost his balance.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" he asked apologetically.

"I'm fine," the man returned politely, looking up at the tall stranger. It wasn't often that he had to look up to anyone. "I supposed I'm still trying to get used to these things."

Bill noticed it before he even finished his sentence, the star pinned on the man's red shirt. He had literally just run into the competition. It took a few seconds, but Matt realized it too. The leg injury, The Dodge House, the physical description Festus had so helpfully provided. The two men exchanged awkward glances until Bill decided to break the silence.

"You must be Marshal Dillon," he said pleasantly. "My name is Bill Dunlap. It's an honor to meet you."

It was, actually. Uncomfortable, but an honor. Bill had been hearing about Matt Dillon for nearly two decades, all of it good. He was as imposing a figure as Bill had always imagined.

"Likewise," Matt returned. "I heard what you did at Tanner's Creek. I'm grateful to you for that."

His gratitude was real, but it conflicted him. The man who might cause him to lose the love of his life was also the only reason she was still alive. Matt should have been the one facing down Pete Folsom at that stage stop, but he wasn't. Bill was there for her in his place, acting heroically even though he had nothing to do with the series of events that had put her in danger. No, putting her in danger seemed to be Matt's job.

Bill nodded his acceptance of the compliment. "I like to think any man would have done the same."

Matt shook his head. "I've dealt with a lot of men, Mr. Dunlap, and I can tell you that not any man would have."

Bill appreciated his candor. It couldn't be easy for him to be having this conversation under the circumstances, yet he had been nothing but courteous and professional. He respected Matt Dillon a great deal and thought he understood why Kitty had stayed with him all these years. He suddenly felt obliged to explain himself to the man whose life he had thrown into chaos.

"Marshal, I want you to know that I'm not the kind of man who sets out to take another man's woman."

Matt wasn't prepared to talk about that, not with his friends and certainly not with this stranger. Truthfully, not even with himself. Bill noticed the sudden change in his demeanor. "I didn't say you were," Matt replied curtly.

It was against his better judgment to continue, but Bill needed to say his piece whether Matt wanted to hear it or not. "I didn't expect her to say yes when I asked her to dinner. I knew she was…with someone. Honestly, I knew who that someone was. But she wasn't married, and I got the feeling that it might not be permanent. I figured she was worth the risk of finding out. I wouldn't have pressed the matter if she had turned me down. It was completely her decision."

"Everything Kitty does is her decision," Matt returned without emotion, even though he felt as though someone had just punched him in the gut. "If you don't know that, you've got a long way to go."

Bill chuckled. "I don't know her like you do, but I can assure you I've learned that much. I suppose it's one of the things I most love about her. She's quite a woman, Marshal. I knew it from the moment I met her."

He wasn't the only one. Matt subtly nodded and bit his lip. "She certainly is," he concurred. With that, the marshal said a polite farewell and headed off to get Buck. He needed that solitary mind-clearing ride now more than ever.

TBC